


Third Base

by MzDany



Series: The Shane/Dustin universe [5]
Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-19
Updated: 2012-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-08 02:18:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/438044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MzDany/pseuds/MzDany
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "The Invitation". Shane and Dustin are going on their first official date. Afterwards, their relationship changes yet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Third Base

“Shane, are you in there, little brother?”

The knock on the door and his brother’s voice jerked Shane out of his staring contest with the two shirts he was holding up. _Porter? What was he doing here?_

Nevertheless, Shane dropped the shirts onto his bed and went to the door, grinning from ear to ear when he saw his older sibling in the hallway.

“Hey, man, good to see you!” They embraced, clapping each other on the back. “What are you doing here today?” Shane asked as Porter stepped into his room.

“Well, Mom finally convinced Dad somehow to refurbish the kitchen cabinets, so naturally he asked me to help.” Porter made a face that showed exactly how _not_ enthused he was about this. Shane laughed.

“I’m surprised he didn’t ask me to help out, too.”

Porter cast him a wry look. “Probably because when it comes to wood, unless it’s in the shape of a skateboard and has wheels on it, your help would have just the opposite effect.”

“Hey!” Shane threw a playful punch at Porter’s shoulder and the two grinned at each other. “Well, I couldn’t have helped anyway. I already got plans for today.”

“So I see.” Porter let his eyes travel over his younger brother. Shane was bare-chested and barefoot, but was wearing khaki dress pants - _with creases_? Porter couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Shane wear anything even remotely formal. His gaze transferred to the two dress shirts lying on the bed - one white, the other one red. “And just where are you going, all dressed up, if I may be so nosy?”

There was a slight hesitation and Porter thought he saw Shane tense up for the briefest of moments before he replied. “Oh, Dustin got tickets for this rock musical that’s playing at the Harbor Theater today. And we're gonna go eat afterwards.”

Porter raised an eyebrow. A musical? That was certainly different from the way Shane and his best friend normally spent their Saturday afternoons. Nevertheless, Porter was pleased to hear this. “Well, it’s nice to know you’re doing something civilized for a change.” He clapped Shane on the shoulder with a grin. “And I’m sure neither the half-pipes nor the moto-tracks are going to crumble just because you two aren’t going to be there one weekend.”

With another pointed look at the pants, he added, “Shane, correct me if I’m wrong, but...the last time I checked, McDonald’s had a ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’ dress-code, but aren’t you overdoing it a little bit?”

“We’re not going to Micky D’s, Porter.”

“Oh, where you going, then?”

“I dunno, Dustin picked the restaurant.” Shane tried just a little too hard to look nonchalant. “Some place where you actually have to make a reservation to get in on weekends.”

“Wow, that sounds almost like a formal date,” Porter joked, but the smile froze on his face when he saw Shane flinch.

“Shane?”

The younger Clarke suddenly found the pattern of his carpet extremely interesting.

Porter folded his arms across his chest, eyeing his brother speculatively. “This _is_ a formal date, isn’t it?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“I...we...” Shane paused and scratched his neck. Porter frowned; Shane looked...awkward. But before he could say any more, Shane suddenly cast him a nervous glance, then abruptly took a few steps towards the still open door of his room and closed it softly. He stood there for a moment, staring at his hand on the doorknob, and Porter suddenly had a pretty good idea what his sibling's next words were going to be.

The look in Shane’s eyes was somewhere between nervous and defiant when he turned to face Porter. “Yeah, it is, Porter. Dustin and I are dating.” He followed up on that statement with a heavy exhalation, almost as if he was steeling himself for Porter’s wrath.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now,” he added as his gaze went back to the floor, but Porter's next words made him look up again sharply.

"Ah - so Dustin's finally come clean about his feelings, then."

"You knew? But...how..."

Porter shook his head, smirking. "Shane, you're my brother and I love you, but I have to tell you that your perception about a lot of things doesn't usually extend much further than the length of your skateboard. I've seen you two interact for years now, and unlike you, Dustin wears his heart on his sleeve. Plain to see - to anyone but you.

"It was Dustin who made the first move, I take it?" Porter added inquiringly and after another moment of stunned silence, Shane simply nodded.

“Aren't you - I don't know - shocked or surprised or something?” He regarded Porter warily.

Porter looked as if he were gathering his thoughts before he said, “Shane, you two have been such good friends for so long and there's been a special chemistry between you from the start, so...no, I'm not surprised that at least one of you finally realized that the feelings have started to run deeper.” Porter shrugged and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Shane automatically followed him. “Sometimes, a friendship that strong stays just that - a bond that will last a lifetime, but other times, things just develop differently; feelings you might not have had in the beginning start to evolve, things change...or maybe you’re finally acknowledging feelings that have always been there, but repressed so far.”

“You’re right,” Shane said simply, remembering how he had come to the same conclusion as well. With more than a little encouragement from Dustin.

Porter suddenly shifted his gaze from Shane’s face to his wrist, nodding at the Red Wind morpher. “And especially with what you two share, the bond between you simply cannot be anything less than unique.”

Shane stared at Porter, momentarily at a loss for words at his brother’s perceptiveness and empathy. He wanted – needed – to express his relief at Porter’s ready acceptance, but since he still didn’t know what to say, he simply reached out and enveloped his older sibling in a grateful hug. His “Thanks, man” came out a bit hoarser than intended.

And grateful he was. Ever since Porter inadvertently discovered a few months ago that Shane was the Red Wind Ranger, he had not only vowed to keep his secret safe, but had turned out to be a much-needed pillar of support. He had been a willing ear for Shane to vent to ever since, while at the same time never asking him to disclose more information than Shane was willing to share. Since then, they were also closer than they had ever been, and Shane had realized that the renewal of the frayed brotherly bond was just as important to Porter as it was to him.

They stayed in their embrace a moment longer, and when they parted, Porter asked, “Have you told Mom or Dad yet?”

Shane sighed. “No. I know I have to come clean with them eventually, but I haven't figured out how yet.” The younger Clarke stared at his hands in his lap. “Or when, for that matter.”

“So who does know about you two?”

“Tori might know, I think. She hasn't asked or anything, but she's been smirking a lot more lately,” Shane said with a small smile of his own. “And, you know, neither Dustin nor I have ever been able to hide anything from her. It's scary how perceptive she is sometimes.”

Porter smiled at the younger man and grasped his shoulder. "Well, if you ever feel like talking, you know where to go."

Shane's brief hesitation was evident and Porter could empathize. Discussing his secret identity with Porter was familiar grounds to Shane by now, but to be talking about something as personal as a budding relationship - and especially when it involved another _man_ \- was a whole new thing altogether.

After a decisive exhalation, Shane turned to Porter. "There's really not a whole lot to tell yet..." Despite that statement, however, Shane did not stop talking for the next ten minutes and became more relaxed and open with every passing minute. Until his gaze suddenly fell onto the clock on the wall.

"Whoa, dude, I've got to get ready," he exclaimed, pushing himself up from the bed. "We're meeting in, like, fifteen minutes."

Porter stood as well, and Shane gave him a warm smile while he once again reached for his two shirts. "Thanks, Porter. For listening - and for being cool about this."

Porter made a show of shrugging it off. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right."

Shane held up the two shirts. “So what do you think? White or red?”

Porter cocked his head. “Red,” he said almost immediately and the two men smirked knowingly at each other. Shane cast the white shirt aside.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

 

*************************

 

Shane hadn’t really believed Dustin when he said that Red Lobster – of all places - needed advance reservations for a table on a Saturday evening; it wasn’t like it was a four-star Gourmet restaurant. But when the two young men arrived at the restaurant after the show, there wasn’t a single table that wasn’t either occupied or didn’t have a ‘reserved’ sign on it.

Dustin gave him a ‘ _told you so_ ’ look as they were being seated and Shane took it with good grace and a grin. He scanned the menu, his fingers drumming on the table to one of the many songs that were still lingering in his head. Shane had never been to a musical before and had up until today put these types of plays into the same bag with classical opera performances. His perception, however, was corrected today, for the show actually turned out much better than he had expected and he’d had a great time throughout the entire ninety minutes.

Dustin was already going on about the musical and Shane happily joined his enthusiastic chatter, slipping into their familiar camaraderie with practiced ease. All through dinner, they talked about the show, themselves, Ranger business, made fun of Lothor’s latest monster and generally just enjoyed each other’s company. One or twice, however, Shane caught a pause in Dustin’s seemingly incessant talking and the Earth ninja’s chocolate-brown eyes took on a strange gleam, as if he couldn’t quite decide on whether or not to voice a particular thought he’d just had. But before Shane could call him on it, Dustin already either picked his thread back up or changed the topic altogether. Shane decided not to pursue the matter, figuring that, if Dustin had something on his mind he wanted to share, he’d do so - eventually.

After yet another one of Shane's repeated mockings of the singing skater's board skills, Dustin flipped a shrimp at him, a move that earned him a distinctly disapproving look from their waiter. That only prompted the two boys to bust out laughing, and as the man stalked past their table with a put-out air, Dustin grinned at Shane.

“Dude, I think next time we come here, we better not sit in _his_ section again.”

Shane just snickered and they continued digging into their dinners, snatching pieces off each other’s plates and happily working on being a nuisance to their server.

Shane was just polishing off the last few bites from his plate when Dustin suddenly looked at his wrist watch.

"Oh, dude, we have to head home, it's almost time."

"Almost time for what?" Shane asked with a suggestive glint in his eyes that promptly made the color creep into Dustin's cheeks.

"Not...that." He grinned sheepishly. "That new Power Ranger anime show is coming on in like twenty minutes."

Shane raised a quizzical eyebrow. "The _what_?"

"You haven't heard about that?" Dustin said, surprised. "Yeah, man, they made a cartoon show out of us!”

Shane went from staring to blinking. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Nope, it's an animated Power Rangers show and the first episode's showing tonight. 'Power Rangers Toon Force' or something like that."

Shane rolled his eyes, yet couldn't help but laugh at the same time while Dustin signaled the waiter for the check. "Now _that_ I gotta see!"

 

**************************

 

Since it was safe to assume that Porter and Shane’s dad were still working on the kitchen cabinets at the Clarke house whereas Dustin’s parents were out bowling - which always included some lengthy bar-hopping with their League buddies afterwards - the choice of residence for watching the show was an obvious one.

With a minute to spare before the program was supposed to air, they plopped down onto the bed in Dustin’s room, Shane propping himself up against the headboard while Dustin naturally pillowed his head in the Red Ranger's lap. Dustin groped for the remote and for the next thirty minutes, they watched, amused, as their six animated alter egos battled alien monsters in typical Japanese cartoon fashion.

When it was over, Shane shook his head, looking mock-indignant. “Aw man, I can’t believe they made me _white_! Now that’s just wrong, dude!”

Dustin snickered. “Yeah, you do make a funny-looking white boy, I gotta say.”

"Man, that was sooo not me."

"That was so not _any_ of us," Dustin corrected, waving the remote at the now dark screen. "Did you see the goofy moves they put on Yellow? I mean, come on, I fight way better than that!"

With his head still in Shane's lap, he rolled onto his back, grinning up at the Air ninja.

"Think we should call Tori and let her know that on TV she's an Asian girl with tri-colored hair?"

"Or tell Cam that he's a blond, blue-eyed muscle poser?" snickered Shane.

"Actually, that guy was pretty hot."

That earned him a feigned glare from above. "Hey, you trying to give me reason to worry here?"

"Nope. I got all I want right here." Dustin reached up, pulling Shane’s head towards him and their lips met for a kiss.

“I wonder what’s gonna be next?” Dustin smirked a few moments later. “Action figures?”

Shane chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind having a Red Ranger.”

“And I’ll have a Yellow one, of course.” Dustin’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “And my guy would kick your guy’s butt.”

“No way, man. You’re forgetting that mine’s gonna have an attachable Battelizer.” The Air ninja’s smirk seemed to fill his whole face, but Dustin waved him off.

“Please! Your brute strength would be no match against my strategic ingenuity,” he deadpanned. “‘cause you see, anything that can be attached can also be _detached_ , so you know that Battelizer would be the first thing to go when I get to your guy.”

“Not _when_ , genius; _if_. ‘Cause guess what: Now that you’ve just revealed your strategy to me, I really don’t need to worry about who’s gonna come out on top in _that_ battle.”

Dustin seemed to think about that for a moment before he scratched his head. “Oh, yeah. I guess that was kinda dumb, huh?” he said with a look on his face that was so typical Dustin that Shane found himself reaching for him before the intention ever even registered. Laughing, he pressed his lips to his boyfriend’s mouth, bumping teeth as the kiss turned crooked from their smirks - which in turn caused them to laugh even more.

When Shane finally released Dustin’s mouth again, he said, “You know, come to think of it, I don’t even need a Battelizer to put you in your place.”

“Really?” Dustin cast him a wry look. “And just where might that place be?”

“Right...” Shane grabbed Dustin firmly around the waist and, with speed worthy of his element, flipped him from his lap onto the mattress and rolled on top of him. “...here.”

Dustin didn’t even try to wiggle out from under him. Instead he grinned up at Shane.

“For once, I can’t argue with you, there.” There was a throaty quality in Dustin’s voice and he raised his hips in emphasis, lasciviously grinding into Shane’s groin. The contact sent sparks of desire through Shane’s abdomen and he automatically pressed back as he felt himself stir to life.

He bent his head to first kiss Dustin’s neck, then his throat, his lips traveling to the hollow at the base of it, kissing and nipping. Dustin shivered under his caresses and linked his fingers behind Shane’s head to pull him back up. Shane could plainly see the heat and hunger in Dustin’s eyes before the Earth ninja’s mouth came up to meet his, and the next few minutes were filled with passionate kisses, tongues eagerly exploring already familiar places, hands touching sensitive spots and lips and teeth leaving marks on heated flesh. They tugged on each other’s clothes, eagerness quickly turning into an urgency that surprised them both. Dustin started on the buttons on Shane’s shirt, only to give up after a few moments and simply pull it up and over his head. The rest of their clothes followed shortly after as their need to touch each other’s bare skins grew inexorably.

Once naked, they wordlessly melted into each other’s arms and for one long moment, they simply stayed entwined, relishing the warmth and safety of each other’s embrace.

Shane let out a content sigh; this was where he belonged, he knew this now beyond all doubt. True, it had taken a while, but once he had allowed himself to acknowledge his deeper feelings for his best friend, the next step had been easier than expected. And now it felt so good, so natural, to be here in Dustin’s arms. But then again, why shouldn’t it? They had known each other for so long and had shared just about everything but their bodies while they were just friends and now that it had become more, the transition from friends to lovers had gone surprisingly smoothly.

Dustin gently pushed Shane into the soft mattress while his mouth sought out his lover’s nipple, sucking it into a hard nub before he shifted his attention and began to shower light kisses across Shane’s torso. He was glad to see that the large discoloration in the center of his chest was finally fading, several weeks after that near-fatal hit Shane had received from a particularly powerful monster weapon during battle. (*)

In the two weeks since their first encounter, Dustin had gotten to know just about every inch of Shane’s body, yet he found himself marveling anew at the breathtaking sight of the man stretched out underneath him. Shane was all muscle and sinew covered by milk chocolate colored skin, hard and yet so beautiful - even with, _and maybe even because of_ , the marks he carried. Apart from the large bruise, there were half a dozen others, some of them old skating injuries, but the majority of them were battle scars; other bruises, welts, bumps, even a few healed-over lacerations where a monster’s sword or a lucky kelzak’s weapon had found its mark. Dustin was familiar with all of them, for he had kissed them all at one point or another. Shane had not only let him, but had returned the favor in kind. Neither of them was embarrassed about their blemishes. Painful as they were to bear, they nevertheless were tokens of their destiny and Shane carried his scars with pride, just as Dustin and the rest of the team did.

Shane lay still in apparent enjoyment of Dustin’s lips on his chest, but before long he moved, raising himself up to his knees. Dustin automatically mirrored his lover's position. They knelt on the mattress, facing each other and Dustin was the first to reach out, his fingers traveling over Shane’s broad chest, lightly pinching a nipple on the way down. When he had almost reached his lover’s groin area, Shane’s hand came forward to encircle him, but Dustin caught his wrist.

“No, let me,” he whispered. Shane raised his eyebrows but complied, his hand coming to rest on Dustin’s waist instead. Dustin’s fingers ghosted over Shane’s hard shaft, then the Earth ninja leaned in for a languid kiss while he pressed their bodies together and closed his hand around both of their straining erections.

Shane caressed the side of his face, never breaking the kiss. He seemed content to let Dustin lead and the Earth ninja began a steady pumping rhythm that soon had them both groaning with need. Before long, breathing became ragged, leg and arm muscles quivered and light sheens of sweat began to glisten on their skins. The heat between them rose and still Dustin kept on stroking, massaging, squeezing, until they both simply couldn’t take it any longer.

With a sound somewhere between a cry and a whimper, Shane closed his hand over Dustin’s, and together they stroked each other to their climaxes.

Through half-closed eyes, Shane watched himself painting Dustin’s belly in abstract ribbons of milky white; his lover was following suit only a second or two later.

Sticky, sweaty and breathless, they remained kneeling for a moment longer, clinging to each other. Shane ran a hand down Dustin’s arm, smiling at the goose bumps that were still there, before he reluctantly broke their embrace.

“We’ve got some serious cleaning up to do,” he said, still smiling at the dark-haired boy before him. Dustin nodded, an impish grin forming at the corners of his mouth as he took Shane’s hand.

“And I know just the place to do that.”

 

*****************************

 

Thankfully, the bathroom was right next to Dustin’s room, therefore no more than two minutes had passed before the two Wind ninjas found themselves inside the shower stall. Dustin fumbled with the water knobs, adjusting the temperature until the water was just hot enough. It was cramped in the small space, and that suited them just fine.

Dustin lifted his head, letting the warm streams hit his face when he felt Shane’s arms come around him from behind. Something soft touched his chest and Dustin smiled into the onrushing water as the wash cloth moved in slow, circular motions across his torso and belly. They had not showered together before, but it had been one of Dustin’s secret fantasies for a long time. He tilted his head to the side and squinted at his partner who was looking back at him with such an expression of affection that it made Dustin’s heart swell. He leaned his head back a bit more and Shane didn’t need any further invitation. The Red and Yellow Rangers’ lips met in a very wet kiss, passionate yet tender while, at the same time, Shane’s cloth-clad hand wandered lower until it was between Dustin’s thighs, moving over his cock, rubbing, until, incredibly, his flesh began to stir again. Meanwhile, Shane’s other hand was playing with Dustin’s nipple while he was sucking on his neck and Dustin couldn’t stifle a growl from deep in his throat. Blindly, he reached behind him in search of skin to caress. His hand came to rest on a round, firm buttock, and he squeezed. The evoked reaction was almost instantaneous; Shane pressed up against him a little tighter, his groin grinding into his butt cheeks and Dustin felt something twitch there. Shane was obviously ready for a round two as well.

Heat flooded through Dustin’s body. The feeling of Shane’s renewed erection pressing against his ass, those teasing hands already arousing him once more as well when the water had barely sluiced off the evidence of their first lovemaking...it was enough to take Dustin close to sensory overload. He shifted, then turned inside Shane’s embrace, suddenly in dire need to feel the darker man’s tongue inside his mouth. The water had plastered his hair onto his scalp and soaked strands were obscuring his view, but Dustin didn’t care, he knew the way to Shane’s lips without looking. An instant later, Shane’s very willing mouth was devouring him. Dustin was seized by a rush of renewed desire and suddenly, even as he was shoving Shane against the wet shower wall, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Dustin’s unexpected move startled Shane, but he let himself be pressed against the wall nonetheless. The Earth ninja’s hands came up to rake through Shane’s wet hair, his tongue plunging into his mouth and Shane eagerly took all that Dustin offered.

He lost time of how long they stayed lip-locked, but at one point, Dustin pulled back just far enough to be able to look into Shane’s face and there was something decisive in those burning brown eyes. After one more stolen kiss, Dustin suddenly moved to drop to his knees and Shane’s eyes went wide. “Oh god,” escaped his throat in a hoarse groan when he realized just what Dustin was getting ready to do.

Dustin looked up, almost as if to make sure it was okay to continue, and the slightly unsteady hand that buried into his sopping wet curls was more than enough confirmation.

He resolutely ignored the flash of nervousness that briefly spiked in his gut and instead lightly encircled the engorged flesh while dragging his tongue first across Shane's inner thigh, and then, with only a slight hesitation, along the underside of the darker man's throbbing length.

Shane gasped at the contact, and the gasp turned into a moan as Dustin continued his ministrations. Dustin risked a quick look up. The Air ninja's eyes were closed, almost squeezed shut, whereas his mouth was half open. Water was dripping from his hair as well as his eyelashes and the expression on his face was one of near ecstasy. He was still holding the washcloth - in a very obvious death grip.

Such a strong reaction from Shane made Dustin's own cock twitch and stretch even more.

To know that he was the cause of that incredibly sensual expression on his lover's face filled him with renewed confidence. He let his tongue run over the tip of Shane's cock, drawing a lazy circle before he closed his lips over the velvety flesh for the first time.

Shane sucked in his breath and bucked instinctively. Dustin's free hand went to his hip, keeping him still while he continued to slowly swallow the pulsing length inch by inch. Dustin had no experience with what he was doing, going on instinct alone, but learning as he went. Judging just how far he could draw Shane in, familiarizing himself with taste and texture, learning the various spots which would elicit a deep groan from Shane with a languid lick, a gentle stroke or a playful nip.

Shane, for his part, was lost in a world of sensation. Seeing Dustin on his knees in front of him, that mouth and tongue doing things to him he had imagined only in his deepest fantasies and wet dreams, the almost overwhelming pleasure making his legs weak, those beautiful brown eyes turning upwards to lock with his...it was all too much.

And so Shane Clarke, Red Ranger and leader of the Wind and Thunder Power Rangers Team, did something he had never done before. He, who had never given quarter to a single monster since he had first strapped on his morpher, who always fought with abandon and poured all his strength and resolve into every single battle, now simply surrendered. He relinquished both control and rationality, letting raw pleasure take over completely as he submitted himself to Dustin's hungry mouth. The pressure was quickly building up like a tidal wave and from somewhere in his mind a faint voice suggested that maybe he should give Dustin some sort of warning, but when he tried the words came out as a strangled groan. He couldn’t - just couldn’t hold this back any longer. His head cracked back against the shower tiles, his fingers flexing in Dustin’s hair, and his kneeling lover seemed to sense what was about to happen. It only encouraged him to increase his efforts, though.

That did it. Washcloth dropping from numb hands, Shane came with total abandon and with a force he had never experienced before. For a moment he neither felt the wet tiles against his back nor heard the water all around him as his world constricted into this one moment of unadulterated pleasure.

When his senses returned the first thing he saw was Dustin grinning up at him. Up until now, he had somehow managed to remain upright, but now his legs finally gave out and Shane slid down the slippery wall and into Dustin's waiting arms. Dustin looked surprised at the obvious trembling in Shane’s arms as he wrapped them around him.

Shane opened his mouth, but before any words could come out, Dustin leaned in and pressed his lips to Shane's. Crouched on the floor of the shower with the hot water still raining down on them, they kissed long and thoroughly. And kissing would have kept them occupied for quite a while longer, if not suddenly, and without warning, the spray from above changed from toasty warm to freezing cold. Their startled yelps echoed through the small bathroom and Dustin quickly reached up to turn off the water.

“Well, at least now I know just how much hot water our boiler can hold,” he gasped.

 

***********************

 

They grabbed whichever towels were within reach while they made their way quickly back to Dustin’s room where they tumbled back onto the Earth ninja’s bed in a tangle of arms, legs, muscle and quickly re-heating skin.

Dustin’s erection had somewhat abated, whether due to neglect or the cold water, but a few strokes from Shane brought him quickly back up to full size. The Air ninja was leaning over him, pinning Dustin’s lither body under him and covering him like a dark blanket. Heat was seeping back into him and Dustin wrapped his arms around his lover, savoring the contact, the closeness, the love that remained yet unspoken.

Shane reached out, tucking Dustin’s hair behind his ear before he commenced to nuzzle and nibble on the lobe. A few moments and several kisses later, Dustin heard Shane’s faint whisper in his ear. “You totally took me by surprise, you know that, right? I didn’t think you were, you know, ready for that yet.”

“Yeah, well, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, I guess,” Dustin admitted, craned his neck some more, then added, “But it was great, and it wasn’t like I haven’t been thinking about this.”

Suddenly, the lips on his neck were gone and Shane’s onyx eyes were staring at him with a mix of surprise and amusement. “You have?”

Dustin just nodded, holding that dark, hot gaze without blinking until Shane claimed his mouth again. Dustin matched him kiss for kiss.

“You are definitely right about the ‘great’ part,” Shane breathed against Dustin’s lips a while later and the Earth ninja grinned. Shane nipped at the other boy’s full lower lip, and when that move earned him a soft groan, he soothed the same spot with the tip of his tongue before he whispered, “High time to return the favor.”

Shane saw Dustin’s eyes widening in surprise as the Air ninja’s intentions dawned on him.

“Shane, you don’t have to...”

Shane cut him off by kissing him once more. “I know, but I don’t want to wait any more,” he breathed, his voice ragged. “I want to taste you, too, Dustin.”

The gaze he received in response was searing.

With a feral growl worthy of his elemental animal, Dustin attacked Shane’s lips for another round of ardent kissing before the Air ninja’s lips began to travel southwards. By the time he had arrived below Dustin’s bellybutton, the Earth ninja’s face was flushed in breathless anticipation.

He ran one finger playfully along Dustin’s quivering member, then leaned forward the last few inches and touched his lips to the tip of his partner’s cock, finally letting his mouth re-discover what his hand was already so familiar with.

It felt strange at first, as strange as it undoubtedly must have been for Dustin not long ago, but it wasn't nearly as odd as he had imagined - and neither was it suffocating him as he had feared. And while certainly unfamiliar, Shane found that it was far from being unpleasant. Definitely something he could see himself doing more often...or receiving more often, for that matter.

He tightened his fingers around Dustin's length, slowly taking him in a few more inches and Dustin groaned, his hips pushing unconsciously into the warmth of Shane's mouth. He risked a quick look up, and the first thing he noticed was Dustin’s hand fisted into the bed sheet. The brunet boy’s face was contorted as if in pain. Shane grinned inwardly; apparently, he was doing _something_ right.

Meanwhile, Dustin’s heart was pounding with the force of a sledge hammer. Shane was apparently a fast learner, for he quickly adjusted his pace to move in sync with Dustin's increasingly feverish rhythm until the Earth ninja felt like every nerve in his body was on fire. Goose bumps broke out over his skin and spasms of pleasure surged up and down his spine, making the hair rise on the back of his neck

Chest heaving, he closed his eyes, giving himself over to the mind-numbing feeling of Shane’s hands and tongue. He really wanted to make this last as long as possible, draw out the inevitable, but the sensations that were coursing through his body like a river in flood told him that he was fighting a losing battle. The tide was building too quickly and he sped towards the edge of the precipice with all brakes disengaged. He sucked in his breath, only to let it out in an incoherent cry that sounded vaguely like Shane’s name as his orgasm rocked his body with a force that threatened to make his eyes water.

For a long moment afterwards, Dustin could do nothing else but pant, but once he believed it relatively safe enough to move again, he pulled Shane up towards him. The darker boy slid into his embrace and Dustin simply wrapped his arms and legs around him. Shane maneuvered them so that they were lying back against the pillows, Dustin’s head resting on his chest right above his heartbeat. They had yet to speak, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. Dustin knew that at this moment, none of the words that came to his mind did his true feelings justice. _No, that wasn’t quite true. There **was** something he could say, something he’d been postponing long enough now... _

Swallowing nervously, Dustin closed his eyes and pressed his cheek a little more into Shane’s chest. _Now or never._

“I love you.”

He said it so softly that, if Shane hadn’t been so close, he probably wouldn’t have heard it at all. He did, though, judging from the way Shane’s chest abruptly stopped moving and his heart rate suddenly seemed to double.

“Dustin...” Shane’s voice was raspy.

 _Uh-oh._ Alarmed now, Dustin raised his head, then sat up, feeling his ‘babble mode’ coming on, but unable to stop it. "Actually, I had planned on telling you during dinner, but we were talking about so much other stuff...I just never got around to it, but you really don’t need to say anything, ‘cause only because I had to finally get this off my chest doesn’t mean you have to feel obligated to...mmphhh.”

Shane’s mouth cut off the flow as efficiently as a rubber stopper over a sink drain. It was almost two minutes later when he finally used his lips for speaking again.

“If you would let me get a word in, I would tell you that you took the words right out of my mouth.

“I...I love you, too, Dustin, and I’ve been kinda wondering how to tell you without sounding all mushy and stuff...” Shane trailed off when he saw Dustin gave him a scrutinizing look from under his eyelashes.

“For real?”

Dustin’s question sounded way too disbelieving, so Shane nodded resolutely. “For real.” And the conviction he put into those words and the accompanying look seemed to be enough for his partner, for one corner of Dustin’s mouth began to lift.

“Dude, that’s like _irony times ten_. I mean, here we are, both all worked up about this...”

“...and it ended up being so easy.”

Grinning like idiots, they reached for each other, sealing their newly vocalized revelations with a slow and gentle kiss. They sank back into the pillows and Dustin sighed happily. He wanted to simply lie here, enjoy Shane’s warm skin against his and not move, not even to grab the yellow comforter that was just out of his reach at the foot of the bed. But it _was_ getting a little chilly in the room, so he stretched and succeeded in capturing the blanket between his toes, pulling it towards them.

As he covered them both, his eyes fell onto the digital display of his alarm clock and he mentally groaned in dismay. _How in the world had three hours passed so quickly?_

He sighed. “Shane, my folks will probably be back pretty soon...”

“Yeah, I know.” Shane let his hand run over Dustin’s side and the Yellow Ranger arched into the touch.

“Damn, man, I wish you could stay.”

“Me, too, babe,” Shane said ruefully. “Me, too.” One arm drew tighter around Dustin while the other hand stroked through his curls and the brunet boy snuggled into the embrace. Both of them were intent on drawing out the moment of Shane’s inevitable departure as long as possible.

Eventually, though, Shane would have to leave some time tonight. They had been spending an unusual amount of time ‘on each other’s couches’ lately, and until they were ready to reveal their relationship to their families and friends, they had to be careful not to arouse suspicions. So for now, these few stolen times alone had to do.

It was okay. For even though they knew that later on, they would be clutching pillows in their separate beds instead of each other, in their hearts they were together.

 

**THE END**

 

 (*) See: Love, interrupted


End file.
